How much debt do UC Irvine psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $14,883, which ranks 13th lowest of 54 psychology bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $158 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from UC Irvine worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 55% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

UC Irvine Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UC Irvine psychology graduates stay in California?

Most do. 94% (209 of 223) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Irvine, CA
About 457 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UC Irvine psychology graduates earn less than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $27,115 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $14,883 in federal loans, less than at 96% of psychology programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $30,592.

First-year earnings$27,11516th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$56,253107% more than year one

Median federal debt$14,88313th lowest of 54 California programs

Debt-to-earnings55%California median 65%, national 78%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all psychology bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	UC Irvine	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,115	$30,592	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$56,253	$54,842	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$14,883	$20,500	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	55%	65%	78%
Programs compared		54	875

Five years out, UC Irvine graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California psychology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

UC IrvineOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 107% between the first and fifth year.

UC Irvine grads, year 1$27,115

UC Irvine grads, year 5$56,253

All California psychology grads, year 5$54,842

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned about the same in their first year as other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$26,681Median debt $15,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$26,958Median debt $14,155

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $158 a month, or 7.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (213 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	35–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–14%
In default	5% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 94 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $18,151.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (209 of 223) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $27,115 salary here buys what about $23,876 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to psychology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

$116,000

Median pay in California. 12,840 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 12% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $62,900Top 10%: $188,050

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,250

Median pay in California. 5,300 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,060Top 10%: $117,070

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

$193,950

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 300 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

About UC Irvine

In-state tuition and fees	$15,722 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$49,922 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,251 / year
Admission rate	29%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	87%
Undergraduate students	30,197

Psychology ranks 37th of 49 bachelor's programs at UC Irvine by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($87,715), Computer Science ($82,161), and Electrical Engineering ($80,412).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Irvine

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public		$27,115	$14,883
Concordia University-IrvineIrvine, CA · private nonprofit	2 mi	$17,772	$25,000
University of Massachusetts GlobalAliso Viejo, CA · public	8 mi	$40,726	$26,703
Chapman UniversityOrange, CA · private nonprofit	10 mi	$28,661	$21,500
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	16 mi	$27,965	$12,998
Touro University WorldwideLos Alamitos, CA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$30,740	$25,611
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	18 mi	$27,511	$12,000
Biola UniversityLa Mirada, CA · private nonprofit	20 mi	$26,764	$23,250
Whittier CollegeWhittier, CA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$30,321	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,115 one year after graduating and $56,253 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in California is $30,592.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the psychology program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Psychology bachelor's programs in California, ranked54 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All UC Irvine programs, ranked49 programs by pay and debt